The Brunswick times. [volume], May 02, 1897, Page 2, Image 2

About The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900

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2
BEHIND THE • - •
| FGOTLIGHTS.
* - r • *'
Personal Characteristics of Ade
laide Neilson.
I .1-
GENIUS OF TEE GEEATEST JULIET,
Meeting of the Famous Actress and Ban
croft, the Historian—Miss Neilson In
Humorous Recitations—Her Idea of
Money and Her Manly Idol.
New York, April 27. —50 much has
been written about the professional ca
reer of that excellent actress and cbarm
ifig woman, Adelaide Neilson, and the
tales of her generosity are so numerous,
that it would perhaps he interesting to
know how her theatrical friends, who
were in some senses also rivals, regard
ed her. The difliculty in the way of
that plan, however, is that there was
but one opinion of her ability and good
ness. Everybody thought that she was
beyond cavil in both of these respects,
and, as agreeable as such reading might
be to her admirers of the present day,
it would certainly also be decidedly dry.
I have heard a great many stories
dealing with the lighter and fun loving
side of Adelaide Neilson’s character,
and, as I was her stage manager for a
long time, I know that most of them
are true. All should be interesting, if
for no other reason than that they were
narrated to mo by actors and actresses
of reputation, the fame of some of whom
at least equaled, if it did not even ex
ceed, that of the fair Adelaide.
A Swimming Quadrille.
Harry Montague, than whom there
was never a greater matinee girls’ fa
vorite in this country, related that on
one occasion at Scarborough, a famous
-it '
; “ rj gMj
ADELAIDE NEILSON.
•watering place in England, a party of
ladies and gentlemen, among whom was
.Miss Neilson, wero enjoying a dip in
the sea, when the actress proposed a
swimming quadrille. It was agreed to,
and she formed a double set. Of course
deepwater for this purpose was a neces
sity, and that was a most trying ordeal
to those of the party who were indiffer
ent swimmers, but who were also too
proud to admit their shortcoming. The
most envied man in the party was a
portly old baronet who had Miss Neil
son for a partner. He was decidedly
long on liquor and short on breath on
this occasion, and by the time the ‘‘la
dies’ chain” had been reached he was
pretty well played out. Miss Neilson
had great difficulty in keeping him at
her side. He would drift over and un
der and in all kinds of ways, to the
groat amusement of the other partici
pants. Finally he disappeared altogeth
er, and when, some moments later, that
fact was noticed, there was a small pan
ic, and everybody made a break for the
shore. The old baronet had already
been rescued, and ho was found in tho
bathhouse, pretty nearly gone.
! Everybody shouted in chorus, “Pump
him out!” Miss Neilson, who had real
ly been amused by the man’s plight
and who did not realize the gravity of
tho situation, promptly retorted:
“Yes, pump tho water out, but don’t
forget to pump the brandy in.”
Charlotte Cushman was a warm ad
mirer and friend of Adelaide Neilson,
and sho used to relate with great pleas
ure how sho ouco took her young favor
ite to visit Bancroft, the great histori
an, at Newport, R. I. The conversation
lagged for awhile until Bancroft hap
pened to say something about Goetho.
Instantly Adelaide was all attention,
and when her host had finished she re
lated an anecdote which I think has
never been published. She said that
once a lad named Gottliardi was taken
by his mother to visit the Weimar thea
ter, the care of which was the partic
ular hobby of the grout poet. They were
astonished to find the place almost emp
ty. The lad seated himself upon one of
the private box rails, with his feet
dangling down. His mother’s protests
were of no avail, and the lad remained
in his position until tho door opened
and a majestic figure entered. It was
Goetho himself, and the lad was so ter
rified that ho paused for a second or
two in his effort to jump down. The
poet walked to tho frightened little fel
low, and, laying a restraining hand
gently upon his shoulder, said in his
sweet, calm voice: “Don’t get down.
There’s room enough on that railing for
both of us.” And he forthwith proceed
ed to seat himself beside the boy, in or
der to effectually put him at his ease.
Miss Neilson related this little anec
dote with so much feeling that Bancroft
was much affected. He walked to her
side, kissed both of her cheeks, and
turning to Miss Cushman remarked,
“Worthy of the best.” Miss Cushman
silently nodded acquiescence.
IHiag Neilson In Comedy*
Adelaide Neilsou has always been as
sociated in the minds of theater goers
with heavy work, but the woman was
,exceedingly versatile and was really as
good in comedy, or even in farce, as
she was in tragedy and the higher forms
of the drama. Colonel Forney, the cele
brated journalist, used to tell a story
of how he, in company with Mr. Pugh
of the Philadelphia Academy of Music,
got Miss Neilson interested in a fair for
charitable purposes which they were en
gineering. The distinguished actress,
then in the zenith of her fame, became
enthusiastic over the thing and prom
ised to lend her aid and professional
Services in any way they might be re
quired toward the furtherance of the
commendable object. She was rather
taken aback, however, when Forney
proposed to her seriously that she should
recite a “Punch and Judy” piece. He
argued, and rightly too, that her ap
pearance in such work would attract
more attention than if she were seen in
her ordinary line. The plan worked
magnificently, and the affair was a
huge success. Colonel Forney said that
he had never realized until that time
what a marvelously versatile woman
Adelaide Neilson was. She did the
“Punch and Judy” bit as carefully and
as well as she could have done the bal
cony scene from “Romeo and Juliet.”
And, by the way, it may not he gener
ally known, but it was nevertheless a
fact, that no dramatic entertainment
held so much charm for Miss Neilson
as one of these same “Punch and Ju
dy” shows. She never missed an oppor
tunity to see one, and she used to laugh
at the nonsensical antics of the little
figures as heartily as any child.
E. L. Davenport, the father of the
young man of the same name who is
rapidly making an enviable reputation
as an actor, once invited Adelaide to
recite “ Theft and Accountability. ” The
request was made in a spirit of raillery,
but the famous actress would never be
bantered, and she started off, giving the
brogue and all the trimmings of the
little sketch which used to be consider
ed highly amusing at that time. The
story ran about as follows:
“Patrick, the Widow Moloney tells
mo that you have stolen one of her
finest pigs. Is that so?”
“Yis, yer ’onor. ”
“What did you do with it?”
“Killed it and ate it, yer ’onor.”
“Oh, Patrick, when, on the judg
ment day, you are brought face to face
with the Widow Moloney and her pig,
what will you say when she accuses
you of having stolen the animal?”
“Did you say the pig would be there,
yer riverenoe?”
“Of course I did.”
“Thin, yer rivorence, it’s very sim
ple. I’ll just say: ‘Widow Moloney,
there’s yer pig. Take him and welcome.
I’ve got through with him.’ ”
Davenport used to admit that when
he asked Miss Neilson to recite the stu
pid little thing he bad thought he
would have the laugh on her, because
he felt sure that she would make an
awful mess of the brogue, and, besides,
the thiug was so old that no one would
be amused by it. Instead of that, how
ever, he declared that he had never
heard it so well told, and he was the
loudest of tho enthusiastic applauders.
Her Generosity.
There is one phase of Adelaide Neil
sou’s character which seems to have
never been understood. Simply because
she happened to be comparatively
wealthy, there was a very general im
pression that she loved money for the
sake of having it—in other words, that
slio was penurious—although she was
always conceded to be personally gener
ous to those with whom she had inti
mate business or social relations. She
was generous, and she was not, in any
sense, penurious. She accumulated
money simply because she could not
help herself. She made so much that
she could not spend it all, try as hard
as slio might. And there is no gainsay
ing the fact that if she had not earned
a small fortune almost every month
that she lived after she had become a
prominent stage figure, she would not
have hud a dollar at her death, for she
could give a good many princesses
points on how to enjoy wealth. Her idea
of money was that it was worth think
ing about only for the pleasure that it
might bring.
This woman, who was the idol of so
many thousands of persons, also had a
sort of idol whom she worshiped from
afar. This fortunate individual was
Gnstavus Brooks. Ido not mean that
she was in love with him. But she
used to think him an ideal actor and
man, and the chances are that sho was
not far wrong in either of these esti
mates. For my part, I think she was
exactly right. The magnificent fellow
went down in the wreck of the Austra
lian steamer Loudon, and his heroic
conduct in working almost without
clothiug at tho pumps iu order that
other lives might be saved had the ef
ect of making Miss Neilson still more
enthusiastic in her admiration of him.
Whenever his name was mentioned, her
eye would kindle, and if a word were
said iu disparagement of him, she
would launch into a recital of his hero
ism during the last few moments of his
well speut life, and—winding up the
recital iu the most fervid manner—
would almost impale the detractor with
a scornful glance from those magnifi
cent eyes as she asked if that was the
sort of man whose memory ought to be
maligned by persons who in many cases
were total strangers to his character and
formed impressions from gossip and
newspaper tattle. Walter Montgoinery e
himself one of the best actors England
ever sent us, used to say that he would
often, through a friend, resort to a ruse
in order to get Miss Neilson to give
Shis recital. Ho declared that at such
times she was fairly inspired, and nev
er failed to hold her hearers spellbound.
That was probably due as much to the
woman’s great magnetism as to the ren
dering, for of all the players with whom
I have been associated I have not seen
one who was more magnetic than Ade
laide Neilson—the beautiful, the talent
ed, the noble. L. John Vincent.
It is said by scientific men that th
hair from the tail of the horse is tht
strongest single animal thread known.
THE TIMES: BRUNSWICK, GA., SUNDAYJ. MORNING, MAY 2, 1897.
AT A VOLCANO’S APEX.
MR. F. A. OBER AGAIN ASCENDS THE
TOWERING POPOCATEPETL.
It Is Three Miles In Height, Yet It Can Be
Easily Climbed —Effects of a Rarefied At
mosphere—The Highest Volcano Be
tween Alaska and Peru.
[Special Correspondence.]
City ok Mexico, April 19.—The
grandest object on this continent, and
the most magnificent thing in Mexico,
is the great volcano Popocatepetl, or the
smoking mountain. This is tho English
equivalent for the long Aztec name,
though it doesn’t smoke any more, not
having been in eruption for perhaps
1,000 years.
Still, Popocatepetl is an object well
worthy one’s attention. It is the high
est elevation on our continent between
Mount St. Elias and Chimborazo, and,
roughly speaking, raises its head into
the Mexican sky nearly three miles
above the sea.
In the first place, it rises from the
great Mexican plateau, which of itself
is about 8,000 feet above sea level. In
the second, some two-thirds of the re
maining 10,000 feet can be ascended on
mule or burro back. But, again, don’t
imagine it is, as some of my western
friends have said, ‘ ‘no slouch of a climb
anyway,” for the last miloor so is any
thing but easy.
This is fhe third time I have essayed
the climb, and descriptions of it may be
found in my old book, * ‘Travels In Mex
ico, ” and also in The American Natur
alist for February, 1886, wheu I accom
panied Professor Packard, the learned
entomologist, to the snow line.
After several hours of riding we ar
rive at the rancho, or old hut, where
once the “volcaneros,” orvolcano men,
who gathered the sulphur in the crater,
brought their crude sulphur to be re
fined. In this hut, which we reached
just before sunset, we passed the night,
sleeping on a rude bench covered with
straw and under blankets which hardly
kept out the cold, for the air at night
TH -; IUMMI n .
is very keen, owing to the altitude and
the neighboring snowbanks, and only
the numerous fleas, which were alert
and vigorous, kept our blood from con
gealing. Between the cold and the fleas,
however, we got but little sleep and
were very glad to respond to the call to
breakfast at about half past 4 in the
morning. After a cup of coffee and bite
of bread and chicken we prepared for
the real ascent of the cone. At first I
rode through the pines to a point high
up the lava beds, where a wooden cross
indicated the spot beyond which horse
or donkey could not go. Then the re
mainder of the climb was to be on
foot.
At first over, or rather through, loose
volcanic sand, then the snow line is
reached, where, for perhaps 3,000 feet,
the climbing is over the snowfields.
There is no special danger, no steep
rocks, glaciers or precipices, only one
steady “grind” up that dazzling slope
of snow. Here one needs blue or smoked
glass goggles to protect the eyes from
the painful glare, us some have been
temporarily blinded by it. I fixed my
alpenstock firmly in the snow and fol
lowed in the tracks of my guides, and
so wallowed on, hour after hour, until
the summit was reached, about noon.
As everything is covered with snow you
cannot tell the location of tho crest un
til right upon it, and I was almost on
the point of giving up when my fore
most guide cried out, “Aqui esta” (here
it is), and in another minute I fell ex
hausted at the very edge of the yawn
ing crater.
Like all self respecting volcanoes,
Popocatepetl has a crater, deep and
wide, perhaps 600 feet to the bottom of
it, and half a mile across. Its sides of
basaltic rock are steep and plunge di
rectly down, so that if you do not walk
with care there is great danger of fall
ing into it. At one time the “volcane
ios” used to descend by a rude wind
lass and rope to the bottom, gather the
crystals of sulphur formed there at the
steam vents and ascend in the same
way. This was a very dangerous busi
ness, and many men have lost their
lives at it. but it was not profitable
enough to be continued, and so has been
abandoned.
As I said, it is a remarkably easy
climb, but yet it is not advisable for
any one to try it who has not sound
heart and lungs.
It took me several hours to get to the
summit But I went down to the snow
line in about a minute. Sitting down
on a straw mat, or “petate, ” I gathered
the ends of it up around me and just
“tobogganed” over the snow like light
ning. Soon the rancho and the horses
were reached, and before dark I was
again at the railroad station of Ameca
meca, having been three miles above
the sea and having experienced a mul
titude of strange sensations, all within
the space of less than 36 hours. It was
all delightful. But I shall not do it
again. Fred A. Oder.
THEY WANT TO SOAE.
AIRSHIP STORIES BRING SWARMING
CRANKS TO WASHINGTON.
Patent Office and Smithsonian Deluged
With Letters From Them —Queer Ideas
of Some —Will the Fljing Machine V
,’hetul In War?
[Special Correspondence.]
Washington, April 27. —The recent
Stories about a flying machine have set
the cranks at work writing letters from
all parts of the country. The letters are
still coming. The government has is
sued more than 150 patents for flying
machines that cannot fly. As every one
knows, the “flying machines” which
have been exploited from time to time
are not flying machines at all. Almost
any one can get a patent on a device,
however cranky, if it uc.es not infringe
the ideas of someone else already pat
ented, aud many of the patents taken
out every year are for devices which on
their face are impracticable. One man,
for example, has a patent for temper
ing steel in a decoction of apples, tur
nips and weeds. The cost of a patent is
what stands in the way of many crank
inventors. The government demands
sls for filing and $.20 more for issuing
a patent, and if the patent is not grant
ed the sls is not refunded. The fees of
lawyers for drawing up patent specifi
cations sometimes amount to SIO,OOO in
a single case.
Wing Devices*
Tbe early applications for flying ma
chine patents were usually for wing de
vices. Then there was a period of bal
loon machines. Of recent years there
has been more work done iu the direc
tion of copying bird flight.
One patent issued within a few years
is for a bird outfit—wings and tail—
made of great imitation feathers of tin
and silk. Equipped with theso, the in
ventor proposed to skim through the
air, guiding himself with his tin tail.
Another inventor has patented a huge
kite, within which sails revolve. Be
low the kite hangs a basket for the aero
naut. How this is to be governed does
not appear. Another device patented is
a boat hanging between gas cylinders of
aluminium. Paddles at the side of the
boat are to beat the air and propel it.
Another inventor expects to have his
boat raised by fans at the sides and
steered by propellers at the ends. There
is an adaptation of the bicycle to aerial
navigation in a balloon with a saddle
suspended where the basket should be.
In this saddle the aeronaut is to work
the pedals which will operate two fans,
with which he is to force the balloon in
the direction desired.
Until a comparatively recent date the
men who applied for patents on flying
machines were regarded as harmless
cranks. But when men well known in
the scientific world began to experiment
man flight assumed anew dignity. Hi
ram Maxim, the inventor of the ma
chine gun, was one of the well known
men who took hold of the idea, and he
has worked for a year or two to develop
it. Professor Lilienthal, who sacrificed
his life experimenting last year, was
another. Third in the list came the sec
retary of tho Smithsonian institution.
He is the boss Darius Green of Amer
ica. To adapt to serious uses a slang
word of the day, Professor Langley is a
bird.
At the Smithsonian.
You would not think it to look at
him. He is a stout, elderly man whose
beard is tinged with gray. He weighs,
I judge, about 200 pounds, and to see
him entering the sacred precincts of the
Smithsonian you would never suppose
him capable of anything so airy as
flight. The act seems out of keeping,
too, with the dignity of so important a
person. Can you imagine the emperor
of China or the ahkoond of Swat flap
ping a pair of prodigious carpentered
wings aud manipulating an artificial
tail far up in the empyrean? Well, nei
ther of these is so sacred a character as
the secretary of the Smithsonian. When
he enters his office, his assistant, Rath
bun, a prize ox who has fed at the gov
ernment crib through all his adult
years, kowtows tremulously. The tran
sit of Langley is an event which ranks
in the official world with tho transit of
Venus in the astronomical.
The Langley machine has repos
ing in a sealed chamber of the Smith
sonian all winter. There does not seem
to be much object iu sealing the cham
ber, for all the essential features of the
machine aro known. Professor Langley
takes the lofty ground that he will not
patent it, but will gm it to tos scien
tific world. The gift is of doubtful val
ue, for it is not possible to imagine even
a tried and successful aerodrome in pop
ular demand.
The principal claim made for the fly
ing machine is that it would be useful
in time of war. The aerodromist, they
say, could spread his wiugs aud fly over
the enemy’s camp to drop dynamite on
him or to reconnoiter his position. The
machine would not be much more val
uable for that purpose thau tho balloon
now is, and General Miles told me a
few days ago that the balloon was not
t considerable factor in warfare. The
United States army has balloons and is
prepared to take them into the field,
but they are not reckoned as of much
value, and in case of war the command
ing officer would not feel very unhappy
if the balloons were left behind.
Balloous In Warfare.
Balloons were used iu warfare during
the siege of Paris. They were ordinary
gas balloons, aud they were used for
carrying people out of the city beyond
the lines of the besieging army. These
people took carrier pigeons with them
and sent messages back to their friends.
This was in 1870. But the balloon in
warfare antedates the siege of Paris.
There are evidences that balloons were
used for the purpose of reconnoissauco
in 1794, and they were so used on the
peninsula during our own civil war.
Experiments have been made recently
in France and in the United States look
ing to the more general use of the bal
loon in warfare, and as the dofensive
side of the problem is always as impor
tant as the offensive, tests of various
arms and ammunition against balloons
have been made. Russia, Germany,
France, Austria and England have all
been conducting experiments, and re
ports of them have been received by the
intelligence office of the war depart
ment here. They show that a balloon 2
miles away and 1,000 feet above the
earth can be hit with 25 out of 86
shrapnel shells; that a balloon 3 miles
away and more than 800 feet high can
be pierced with 20 out of 26 shells, and
finally that a balloon 3J4 miles away
and half a mile high can be brought to
the ground by a shell.
Besides, it is shown in practice that
observations from the great height
reached by the balloon are defective be
cause the angle of vision leads to error
in the estimation of bodies of men. The
flying machine would have an advan
tage over the balloon if it could be
made responsive to the will of the oper
ator. The balloon cannot be guided ex
cept by the uncertain method of raising
or lowering it so as to find a favoring
current of air. The aerodrome as plan
ned will go in any direction at the will
of the operator. It will carry machinery
to operate its huge wings, and para
chute provision may be made, so that if
the machinery should get out of order
the machine will settle slowly instead
of falling quickly to the earth. The
great objection to the use of machinery
with devices relying on gas for eleva
tion was the explosive character of the
gas used, and the fact that even propul
sion by compressed air might produce
through friction a spark which would
ignite the gas and so destroy the bal
loon and the aeronaut.
The flying machine may use electrici
ty if a storage battery of light weight
is devised. Professor Langley, in his
experiments, has designed using a
steam engine in his aerodrome. An en
gine has been made which weighs less
than ten pounds to each horse power.
It has been estimated that such an en
gine will support a weight of 200
pounds in the air at a horizontal velo
city of 45 miles an hour, and still mors
at a higher velocity.
The Aerodrome.
The Langley machine was exploited
first four years ago. It had been iu con
struction then for two years. It was
surrounded with an air of mystery at
first, but this was dissipated gradually,
and facts were given out from time to
time. Finally the statement was made
that the experimental machine had been
sent through the air for half a mile,
and this was verified by Professor Gar
diner Hubbard of the Smithsonian. 01
course this aerodrome was a model on
ly. The first machine was about 15 feet
long, shaped like a mackerel. It was
built in great part of aluminium. In
side the shell were two small engines
capable of exerting one horse power,
boilers supplied with a volatile hypo
carbon in place of water and a small
gasoline tank.
In the ground plan of this aerodrome
there is nothing new. Many years ago
a Frenchman made a toy which was
operated by the power of a twisted rub
ber baud. This toy flew up into the air,
and when the rubber was untwisted
fell to earth again. This toy was im
proved by Professor Langley and made
to take longer flights, and then the ma
chine which has been careering around
the lower Potomao in tbe summer for
the past three years was developed. Pro
fessor Langley has been experimenting
for ten years.
The letters which have been coming
to the Smithsonian for some time have
been from people who wanted to learn
whether the authorities there knew any
thing about the western airship. The
scientists in Washington were not dis
posed to put much faith in the airship
stories because they have believed that
no one was going to “discover” the
method of flying. It was natural foi
them to think that if the flying ma
chine was made it would be the result
of hard, scientific study. The scientific
world knows who are conducting inves
tigations into the principles of the aero
drome, and none of these men had been
flying ever Chicago or St. Louis or San
Francisco. So they placed little faith
in the stories of the mysterious visitoi
which were telegraphed from the west.
When I showed them a letter from a
personal acquaintance in St. Louis
claiming that he had seen the airship
just above the housetops, that it was
“30 feet long, a heavy looking thing,
painted in stripes and with great wings
at the sides slowly flapping or turning,”
they smiled at me pityingly and shook
their heads. But your scientist is usual
ly skeptical about anything he does not
understand.
George Grantham Bain.
Keeping Ahead.
Mistress—Why, Mary, you have dated
your letter a week ahead.
Maid—Yis’m. It will take over a
week for it to get to me mother, and
she wouldn’t care to be reading old
news, even from ma—Boston Tran
soript.
OUTDOOII COSTUMES.
BICYCLE SKIRTS, JACKETS, SHOES
AND NECKWEAR.
A Pretty anil Graceful Suit For tlie Wheel.
Norfolk anil Eton Jacket*—The Corru
gated Solo llicyclc Shoe—New Caprice*
In Co.llars and Ties.
[Special Correspondence.]
New York, April 27.—1 t appears
that the fair bicyclists have largely set
tled ui*on one costume, and that one is
the prettiest and most graceful, and,
though perhaps still possessing some
elements of danger, it is comparatively
safe. This has a skirt made smooth and
plain in front, flaring a little at the
sides and laid iii deep plaits at the back.
These are so placed that they hide the
fact that tho skirt is really divided.
The skirts are generally hemmed, and a
row of stiffening is put undor tho hem,
and tho whole is tailor stitched in from
NEW NECKWEAR.
two to ten rows. There are two reasons
for this—first, it causes the skirt to
bang hotter, and, second, it keeps it
from catching in the wheels. The hem
is firmly sewed and cannot rip or catch.
The finish is particularly neat. Some
of the suits are made of serge, in dust
gray or light brown. Some are of light
weight covert suiting. Cheviot and cra
vanette are used in others. All the
above mentioned fabrics aro both dura
ble and handsome, and also suitable,
but cravanette has the advantage of be
ing watei proof. This ought to commend
it to riders, who are always liable to
get caught in a shower. Cravanette,
like serge, which it resembles closely,
is produced in grays, blues, browns and
the new greens. The least conspicuous
colors are the best for cycling costumes.
Some of the skirts are arranged so
that the front breadth buttons all the
way down on both sides and can be re
moved at will, leaving the lady in a
fully divided skirt. But I see very few
of these. There are a few bloomers in
tended to be worn entirely without a
skirt, but few women, comparatively,
feel strong minded enough to adopt
them. The norfoik jacket, with its al
ways neat and pretty plaits and belt, is
quite the favorite. There are a few va
riations on this popular style, principal
ly in the way of ending the folds. Some
are pointed, some tongued and some
others tulip shaped, reaching in some
cases below the edge of the jacket.
Nest to the norfoik jacket is the eton.
There was a very handsome dress, made
of dark blue cravanette, tailor stitched
around the bottom and down the two
front seams. On each side near the
waist was a fly, with black rubber but
tons set on it. There was a stiffened
swiss pointed belt of the same stuff.
The shirt waist was white and like
those worn by the men. Over this was
an eton jacket, made so that it could
button across the chest.
The flat, wide and corrugated sole bi
cycle shoe is made with some attempt
at ornamentation. Leggings are of ev
ery kind, but the favorites are those of
suede. The flat sailor hat in mixed,
white or black straw seems to lead in
its demand. Little trimming is needed,
yet womankind must have some little
touch of grace, and therefore they have
a pert little bunch of quills, a tuft of
cock’s plumes, or a psacock eye or so,
or possibly a small, close bunch of vio
lets or forgetmenots. The English walk
ing hat, with its pretty dip down over
the eyes and its jaunty curl on the
sides, is a favorite. Alpines and funny
looking little derbys are among the cy
clists’ hats. In fact, I fancy becoming
ness is more studied than anything.
A word now about tlie neckwear.
When a lady Is simply going to take a
ride through the streets and parks of
the city where she lives, she wears her
newest and prettiest costume, and this
also allows her some little latitude
about her adornments. For such a ride
she may put on a big white turndown
collar and under its deep points slide a
BICYCLE COSTUMES.
stiffened plaid tie resembling a four
in-hand, with the lower part of it made
of a deep frill of plaited lace. This pre
supposes that the jacket, whatever it
may be, hangs open in front. Then
there are deep cuffs to match, some
times fastened with link buttons and
sometimes tied with pretty ribbon, in a
small, neat bow.
For country rides, where one always
gathers soil enough to plant a chrysan
themum, there are some very useful
collars made of plaid They are
high and turn down may
be worn with plaid or An
other pretty collar is of gray linen with
anew kind of white linen ruffling,
which will iron as well as the rest of
the collar. Some have colored linen
ruffles. Olive Hakpeh. j